Places mikemhowe Wants to Go

The hidden lair of an alchemist rediscovered in a 2002 flood.

Two stunning 17th-century libraries and a cabinet of curiosities.

The history of occult science is turned into a creepshow at this lurid Prague tourist attraction.

On a river island north of Bangkok, a small bar helped lead a home-brewing rebellion.

Walk through depictions of the torture inflicted on those who go to Buddhist hell.

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.

Daikon radishes are offered to the Japanese Buddhist counterpart of the Hindu god Ganesha at this historic hilltop temple.

A 17th-century Shinto shrine that is home to statues of Mickey Mouse and Pikachu.

It's bad manners to eat and drink on the subways of Tokyo, unless the train is this bar. 

Inside the columbarium, thousands of colorful, high-tech Buddhas guard the ashes of the dead.

This brothel-turned-restaurant features plenty of surprises and elaborate, extravagant architecture.

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

This bar is filled with Star Wars merchandise from around the world, all of it unlicensed knockoffs.

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese shrine.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

Have a soak at this retro bathhouse, where you will find Japan's first electric bath, tiling from Spain, and wood carvings representing the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.

Established over a thousand years ago, this family-run teahouse continues to serve skewers of sweet rice cake to this day.

One of Kyoto's oldest food establishments has supplied soba noodles to temple priests and the Imperial Palace.